[VARoadstter]

Tonight about eight of us will hang out together in my den for about 6-7 hours of poker. Lately it's been all $10 and $20 buyin NLHE tournies but one of the people coming tonight hates HE so we'll probably go back to dealer's choice silliness. No biggie, I'm up on my Omaha, Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud, etc. etc. etc. The games I detest are the "every other card in the deck is wild" games. Not that I want to see anyone leave early but once she heads home we'll probably immediately revert back to tournament play.

You may be wondering why I would put up with one person deciding whether or not we play HE or something else - it's a fair question. It goes back to when I started the game at my house. Back then we played anything and had a good time. It's all about kicking back with friends and drinking a couple cold ones anyway, right? So anyway, they don't want to play for particularly high stakes (our "limit" games are usually .25/.50) so for someone to get excited the pot needs to get big. Games like Midnight Baseball, Follow the Queen, etc. have the potential to raise pots of $10-$15 if enough people get playable hands. Win a couple of those and you're on a freeroll the rest of the night.

I play with another group when I want to get some money in play. Another game I go to is $1/$2 NLHE with an average buyin of $200. I would love to have the guys at my home game get to a higher limit but since we're all good friends and coworkers I am not in a hurry to make this happen.

I'll follow up tomorrow with an after-action report.

[panthershutch15]

Good luck!

[TomHimself]

how do you play baseball? i always get confused by that game

[VARoadstter]

Rules for baseball (there are variations):

Game is basically 7 card stud with the following modifications:

There are some special rules based on special numbers related to baseball.

If you get a 4 up you get a free card.
Nines are wild
Threes are wild, but if you get one up you have to match the pot or fold (builds a nice pot quickly).

One variation is to not make a 3 match the pot but simply put in some fixed amount.

[VARoadstter]

We played dealer's choice for about two hours and I dropped about $10 during that period. I got no cards all night.

We finished up with 3 $10 + rebuy tournies. I finished 2nd once and missed the money in the other two due to suckouts on the river - one to a flush and one to a two outer than made a boat over my straight. For the night, I was down about $30. Had a great time though and was glad to see some of the other people playing much better than they had in the past.

[TenPercenter]

Originally Posted by TomHimself

how do you play baseball? i always get confused by that game

Here's how we've played it for years:

http://thecagles.com/poker/stud.htm#Baseball

"Baseball PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: two down and one up to each player PLAY: As with 7 card stud, with these exceptions: threes and nines are wild. If a four is dealt face up, the recipient immediately receives another card down. WINNER: High hand STANDARD VARIATIONS: Rainouts - If the Queen of Spades is dealt face up, the hand is terminated and redealt-- but only for players who are still in. Rainouts as above, but after 3 of them you build a dome over the stadium, preventing further rainouts. Paying for wild cards. Usually, the required payment is to match the pot. Possibilities include: Face-up threes, nines, or both require the recipient to pay for them to be wild, otherwise they're just face value. Face-up threes, nines, or both require the recipient to pay for them or fold. Pay for face down wilds as well as face up ones. Paying for the additional card when a four comes face up. Allowing someone with a face-down four to flip it face up and receive an additional card. The way we usually play is: Nines are free, as are down threes. Up threes require you to match the pot or fold. The additional card from a four is free. "



And here is a more fun version:

"Midnight Baseball PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: seven cards face down to each player and one up card on the table. PLAY: Do not look at your cards! This game is similar to baseball, except you can't look at your cards until they're flipped up. The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. The lead player starts rolling cards until his revealed hand beats the highest revealed hand on the table (initially, the single up card). He must obey any payment rules which apply as he flips cards (paying for wild cards, fours, etc). As soon as his revealed hand becomes the new best hand, he stops rolling cards and begins a round of betting. If he rolls all his cards and does not beat what is on the table, he is out and a betting round begins with the high hand. Either way, the next player then tries to beat the high hand in the same manner, with a betting round ensuing whenever someone stops rolling cards. The game continues until all the cards have been turned up or there is only one person left in the game. WINNER: High hand
STANDARD VARIATIONS: If a player rolls all his cards without beating the high hand, there is no betting round-- the next player begins rolling immediately. Players can look at their cards and lay down the cards of their choice until their exposed hand beats what's on the table. Makes this game more strategic. "

[smoore]

aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!

you guys are nuts.

How can anyone have an edge in a game like baseball? I've played follow the queen before and that's a crapshoot, but much less of a crapshoot than baseball. If you want to play midnight baseball, I'm calling NL holdem NO-PEEK everyone antes $1, the blinds are $10/$5 (not a typo) and the cutoff MUST raise (no option to fold) for the next game. What the hell, it's about the same thing.

Screw it, lets just all ante $100 and cut for high card. I'm f'in MAVERICK tonight!

If people want to play games like this I show them how to play razz and lowball. They get addicted, because that's how they are. Then I show them how to play triple draw lowball. Then I pwn them. PWN! I love those gamb00l types.